Boo Weekley checks the wind on his way to a first-round 66 at the Honda Classic.(Photo: Wilfredo Lee, AP)
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Boo Weekley once squared off with an orangutan — and got knocked out cold by one punch. He clobbered two 5-foot rattlesnakes on the deck of his house another time. And he’s hunted for most everything that’s legal to hunt.
So no puny, poisonous water moccasin is going to scare him.
RORY, TIGER: World’s top 2 open with 70s[1]
In the latest chapter of his comeback from golf’s hinterlands, the one-of-a-kind Weekley dodged most of the hazards rimming the Champion Course at PGA National to shoot a 4-under-par 66 in Thursday’s first round of the Honda Classic. He is two shots out of the lead set by Camilo Villegas, who also has struggled with his game since winning here in 2010. One shot out of the lead are Rickie Fowler, Branden Grace, Robert Streb and Graham DeLaet. Defending champion and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy and world No. 2 Tiger Woods each shot 70.
LEADERBOARD: Honda Classic[2]
Weekley, whose last win came at Hilton Head in 2008, the same year he starred for the USA in the Ryder Cup victory, has struggled since injuring his shoulder in 2009. He lost his Tour card after making just 11 cuts in 23 starts in 2011 and failed to make it through Q School that year. He started last year with a third shoulder surgery and another injury that was, literally, a pain in the rear.
Not on the bashful side, Weekley explained he had cysts removed from his rectum.
Benefiting from abundant sponsor’s exemptions last year, however, he regained his card by finishing 108th on the money list.
After a slow start to the season, Weekley, one of the PGA Tour’s best ball-strikers, finally started heating up in the cool morning conditions shortly after the sun came up. After making bogeys on his first two holes — he joked he could hardly see the ball because of the dim light — Weekley made five birdies in an eight-hole stretch starting at No. 6.
Perhaps the turning point came after he came to the rescue of some frightened marshals and spectators. A water moccasin was squirming around the 5th green and Weekley calmly scooped it up with his driver and deposited in a nearby water hazard.
“If it would have been hotter, somebody could have stepped right by and been bit by him,” Weekley said in his Southern drawl. “He blended in perfectly with the grass, wasn’t but about 18 inches long, but he was good enough that he could have bit you and hurt you pretty bad.”
While he’s never lost his touch with animals, Weekley lost his touch with the putter. But hard work with coach Scott Hamilton is turning it around. Of course, in Weekley’s world, one of the drills to smooth out his putting stroke is one he uses as an avid hunter.
“It’s kind of like when I’m shooting my guns long range; I have to take a deep breath and exhale and blow it out and then pull the trigger. And that’s what we try to work on a little bit,” Weekley said. “Get (the stroke) more natural where it just flows instead of just sitting there and then you tense up.”
Like Weekley, Villegas is on the comeback trail. The three-time Tour winner missed 10 cuts in 25 events last year and lost his Tour card. He failed to get it back at Q School and has limited playing status this year. But he refuses to give in and is working both on his attitude and game.
“You just somehow got to be strong with the mind and keep grinding,” said Villegas, who eagled his final hole to grab the lead. “You know you belong out here, you know you’re good enough, and you also understand that the game of golf is a game of ups and downs. You’ve just got to be strong on those downs and keep working hard.
” … I just played bad the last year and a half. It’s a little reality check, nothing wrong with that. It gives you a little bite to come back and be who you know you can be.”
McIlroy continues to try and be McIlroy again. He has struggled since switching to Nike clubs but with just four competitive rounds under his belt now in the past three months, he’s working more on finding his swing. His so-so round included two birdies and two bogeys.
“I guess it’s hard to commit to the shot that you need to play every time. So if you should play a fade and you’re not comfortable with it, it’s hard to do. So just a bit more work on the swing to try to get a bit more comfortable with that and I should be OK,” McIlroy said. “But I felt like I hit the ball OK today, not as good as I can, but it’s getting there.”
Woods got nowhere with his putter. He also had two birdies and two bogeys and needed 32 putts.
“I hit a lot of good shots but I didn’t make anything,” Woods said. “I hit just a ton of good putts that didn’t make the edge and just never really made anything until No. 7. But other than that, it was pretty much a boring day on the greens.
” … I hit the ball well today and on top of that, I hit good putts but unfortunately I didn’t get the feeling of this grain today. It was either snagging or I would blow through it top side. I just didn’t quite have it just right. I hit so many putts right around the edge that just were not going in. Just stick with what I’m doing because it’s not very far off.”
References
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2013/02/28/tiger-woods-honda-classic-first-round/1953847/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/leaderboard/ (www.usatoday.com)
